Most of us rejoice as the days get longer and temperatures climb at this time of year. But, among the buzzing and blossoming of spring, some Aussies are confronted by a stench that wafts through their backyards and makes their stomachs churn.
Cait Bransgrove, a Melbourne resident, told Yahoo News she can’t enjoy a simple cup of coffee in her yard without breathing in a strong odour, which some describe as smelling like ‘rotting flesh’ while others found it resembled something more… well… X-rated.
“It really just hits you in the face,” she told Yahoo. “It’s a nice backyard, nice setting, and then we’ve got trees next to us that stink like semen.”
She’s referring to the distinct smell of ornamental pears, a tree that’s garnered such popularity among Australians for its pretty white flowers that the species has become one of the most common landscaping trees used in the country. They’ve been planted in yards and parks for decades.
“They’re everywhere,” she said. “The smell should remain in your bedroom, not in your backyard.”
Trees have the last laugh playing ‘brilliant trick’ with smell
There is a very good reason why ornamental pears emit such a “pungent smell”, and as Cait is left gagging into her coffee cup, insects are drawn to the smell. Its unpleasant scent ensures it attracts the right insects.
“Flowers are in the advertising game, they’re interested in attracting pollinators,” horticulturist Dr Gregory Moore from the University of Melbourne told Yahoo News. “The ornamental pears have a very pungent smell… like rotting flesh or fish… that’s designed to attract carrion feeders, such as flies and beetles.”
These feeders commonly eat dying and deceased flesh, so the strong smell of the trees does wonders at attracting the pollinators they need in order for their pollen to spread.
“The flowers are mimicking it [decaying matter], and the insects go to the pears. It doesn’t take them long for them to realise they’re not getting a feed, but they’ve already been there and picked up the pollen… It’s a brilliant trick,” he said.
Ornamental pears pose invasive threat to Aussie suburbs
Ornamental pears aren’t native to Australia, originating from countries in East Asia such as China, Taiwan and Japan. They were introduced in the mid-1900s after World War II, popular for brightening up urban landscapes as cities and towns grew.
“Lots of people have them in their gardens; they’ve been planted widely as street trees,” Dr Moore explained. “There are a lot of them, and in some cases, they can be weedy.”
While they currently don’t pose a significant invasive threat, Dr Moore warned that large tree species like this can easily “get out of control”.
“By the time people realise trees are a weed problem, it’s very difficult to control them.”
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This article originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/woman-left-gagging-from-popular-plant-in-aussie-backyards-hits-you-in-the-face-230203673.html
